How do I free space used by VS Code or JetBrains IDEs?

Q: How do I free space used by VS Code or JetBrains IDEs?

Editors keep caches, extension data, logs and indexes: - VS Code and editors based on it keep caches and workspace storage under your Library's Application Support; uninstalling unused extensions and clearing their cache folders (with the editor quit) frees space. - JetBrains IDEs offer File → Invalidate Caches…, and old IDE versions' caches and logs can be removed with the Toolbox app or by deleting old version folders. Storage Studio's Free Up Space and What's Using Space recognise common editor data (for example VS Code and Cursor) and clear only rebuildable parts with a review first.

Short answer: Remove unused extensions and clear editor caches with the editor quit; in JetBrains use Invalidate Caches and remove old IDE versions' data.

Editors keep caches, extension data, logs and indexes:

VS Code and editors based on it keep caches and workspace storage under your Library's Application Support; uninstalling unused extensions and clearing their cache folders (with the editor quit) frees space.
JetBrains IDEs offer File → Invalidate Caches…, and old IDE versions' caches and logs can be removed with the Toolbox app or by deleting old version folders.

Storage Studio's Free Up Space and What's Using Space recognise common editor data (for example VS Code and Cursor) and clear only rebuildable parts with a review first.

Last reviewed October 1, 2026

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How do I free space used by VS Code or JetBrains IDEs?

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